


Unspoken Words

by CosmicBrownie



Series: The Hargreeves Kids (Pre-Season One Fics) [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Body Swap, Eventual Smut, Incest, M/M, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Incest, Sibling Rivalry, They’re about age 17 here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:34:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25269181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CosmicBrownie/pseuds/CosmicBrownie
Summary: Diego had always wanted to be the leader. And he always thought he deserved to be, too. Certainly Luther didn’t.If only he could prove himself, and take his place, at least for a little while...Aka A Luther/Diego body swap
Relationships: Allison Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves & Luther Hargreeves, Diego Hargreeves/Luther Hargreeves
Series: The Hargreeves Kids (Pre-Season One Fics) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1892047
Comments: 4
Kudos: 24





	1. Responsibility

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this story is from the song of the same name by Mxmtoon that I happened to be listening to when I started it. Enjoy!

“What was that?!” Luther yelled after Diego. “Diego, stop running!” He called.

Diego flipped him off, continuing down the alleyway to where Reginalds car had been parked. He didn’t even turn around to face his brother as he called back “Fuck off, Spacehead!” That was one of his favourite mean nicknames for Luther.

The two raced down the backroads next to the hideout they’d just infiltrated. Police sirens wailed in the distance, their red Ana’s blue flashing lights visible around the corner where a muffled crowd of voices rose from.

Luther dashed up to him, almost tripping on a broken bottle on his way. Diego didn’t have the energy nor the care to run even as he heard his brother catch up to him.

“Diego!” He shouted, slightly panting. “Why didn’t you follow the plan? Dad-The Monocle I mean-gave us clear instructions. He had a plan. I had a plan! It was a hostage situation, not an assault!” He ranted, exploding in anger at Diego.

Diego turned sharply in his feet to face his brother. “Well you know what Luther? Your plan was bullshit! I was acting fast, not carefully. Those are the kinds of instincts that make a good hero!”

“Are you seriously not seeing your mistake?”

Diego laughed.

Luther was baffled. “Can you just let me lead this team for once, Two?” He shouted, breaking.

“Oh, cause you’re doing such a fantastic job at that, chief.” Diego scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Luther exhaled deeply, then took a deep breath. “Look, I’m the leader, I call the shots. In case you forgot, I’M one.”

“How could I forget with you so insistently reminding me anytime I try to make a good choice for the team?” Diego replied, rolling his eyes. 

Now it was Luther who laughed. “Is that what your calling your little charade in there? A good choice? You costed us the mission! You let them get away! You almost got yourself killed!”

“That was Allison’s fault for not having my back when I told her I was going to intervene!” Diego spat, huffing like a child.

“And now you’re not taking the blame? You have a lot to learn about leading, Diego. Have a little humility. Take responsibility!” Luther said, taking a few steps forward.

Diego hated when Luther came close to him. It meant he had to look up to face him. He knew that Luther reviled in every centimetre he had on Diego, and that’s why he did it. From the smug ghost of a smirk on his stupid face to the gleam in his eye as he looked down on him. It made Diego boil. His hands balled up into tight fists. His knuckles were going white.

“Responsibility? You wanna talk to me about responsibility, Spaceboy?” Diego spat. “Then why don’t you take responsibility for the death of our fucking brother?!”

Luther stepped back. His eyes widened and his face flushed a colour of ghostly white. He opened his mouth but nothing came out.

Diego’s chest hurt. Partly from the pain of being beaten down by three crooks not half an hour earlier, partly from the anger and the venom coursing through his veins and pumping his heart at a million beats a minute from arguing with Luther, but now, partly from guilt. No, mostly from guilt. He knew he had hit Luther where he would hurt the most. Where no mean nickname or jab at his leadership skills could reach him.

He knew he messed up.

So instead of facing the result of his words, he turned, booking it for the car now without a glance over his shoulder. He couldn’t bear to spare a look at Luther’s face with his reference to their dead brother Ben still hanging thickly in the air. He didn’t want to see his despaired expression. He hated that expression. He hated his stupid, stupid face. And he hated his stupid fucking leadership skills on top of that.

Although The Monocle’s stiff and disappointed lecture made it difficult to focus on any of his siblings the rest of the way home, he knew that Luther wouldn’t even look at him for the rest of the day.

-

Diego was wrong to think that Reginald’s excruciating rant about insubordination and the gruelling response training that followed that night even as his siblings ate dinner was the last he would hear about the mayor mission.

The next day during his study hour, Diego was looking for a specific book on aerodynamics in the library when he was interrupted by Allison.

“You’re an imbecile, you know.” She said, nonchalant and smug, leaning against the bookcase. “And your bad choices are all your own fault.”

Diego groaned. He had had enough of hearing about it. He made a point to really whine out “And you’re insufferable. I’m not blaming you for your shit response time.”

Allison shut the book she was reading. “Really?” She asked. “Cause according to Luther, you are. And my response time is immaculate, for your information. I have the reflexes of a cat.”

“You have the reflexes of a high, eighty-year old sloth, Three.”

“Sloths only live till like, Fifty.”

“Exactly. Anyway, what is Luther telling you, and why?”

Allison got more serious now. “He told me about your conversation yesterday. He told me everything you said about me. And about Ben.”

Diego felt his stomach lurch. He avoided Allison’s eyes as he pretended to resume his book search. He couldn’t quite remember what he was looking for though.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” He chimed. “Did you two also talk about the way you think you’re quiet when you sneak off to who knows where at three in the morning to make out?”

Allison paused for a moment, still and taken back. “I-We’re not-“

“Cause you’re not...by the way.” Diego said slyly. “Quiet.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Look, Diego. What you said wasn’t cool. It took me hours to talk him out of his sadness. He begged me to rumour him, for Christ’s sake.” She said, getting quiet. “You know how hard he’s been taking it.”

“Should hope so. Deserves it for what he did.” Diego bit out, adding venom to compensate for how little he really meant it. His stomach was flipping around deep in his belly.

“Diego! Why don’t you stop being selfish for once and take credit for your own god-damn mistakes. I mean, honestly!” She scoffed. “Is it really so hard for you to just say ‘sorry’?!”

Diego opened his mouth, then slowly closed it. He didn’t turn to look at her, but didn’t care to pretend to look for his book anymore either. He said nothing.

“You’re unbelievable. And you’re a pussy. Go be the big man and say sorry right now. For what, I don’t care. Any of the things you’ve done in the last twenty-four hours. That’s fine by me. Just let him know that you don’t wish he was dead, like he thinks you do.” Allison said, turning and walking away down the row of books. She stopped at the end, looking at Diego again.

“...you don’t, right?”

Diego took a deep breath. He shook his head. 

“Good. I didn’t think so.” She said with a small smile. “Oh, by the way, here.”

She tossed Diego the book she had been reading. He caught it and took a look at the cover. It read “Principles of Aerodynamics” on the top.

He shrugged and tossed it back to her with more precision and curve. “Read it. I’m looking for volume two.”

“Whatever.” Allison replied with a sigh. “Hey, promise me you’ll make up with Luther?”

“I think our relationship is long past repair, Alli. But I will talk to him later.” Diego said, voice soft.

Allison smiled as she crossed the room and shut the door behind her, heels clicking into the distance.

-


	2. Redemption

Knocking on Luther’s door that evening after dinner knowing he was about to apologise to him was probably scarier than any mission Diego had ever been on. But he took a deep breath and did it anyway, cringing when the door creaked open to reveal his brother.

Luther had opened the door quickly, expectant, then his demeanour got small when he saw Diego standing there. “Oh.” He said softly, looking down at him.

“Hey, Spacehead.” Diego said awkwardly. 

Luther frowned at the name. “Hey.” He said in return.

“I just wanted to...apologise.” Diego spoke quietly. His skin was burning. He felt on edge. He despised this.

Luther unfolded his arms and tilted his head. “Oh?”

Diego sighed. “I’m sorry for what I said. It was wrong to bring up Ben. I...I was wrong.”

Luther cocked his eyebrow. “Is that all?”

“What?”

“Is that it?”

“Um, yes?”

“Huh.”

“What, are you serious? You wanted more?” scoffed Diego. “What, you want me to apologise for the mission yesterday too?”

Luther sighed, turning back into his room. “Of course.”

“What, what do you mean ‘of course’?” Diego asked, getting louder and following Luther into his room.

Luther turned. “What I mean, Kraken, is that you don’t know how to own up to your own faults or mistakes. That’s why I’m Number One.” he said, eyebrows creasing.

Diego felt the sting of his embarrassment turn into the fire of anger under is feet. “Are you serious? This again?”

When Luther didn’t respond, sitting down at his desk, Diego continued. “You know what Luther? You wanna know why you’re One?”

“Really hoping you’ll tell me.” Luther muttered under his breath. Diego ignored him.

“You’re Number One because you can throw the hardest punch. That’s it. And that’s not even something you earned.” Diego said. “But Dad’s wrong, you know. The leader should be the smartest. Like Allison, or me. The ones who use actual brain power on the field.”

“Oh, yeah, cause throwing knives takes a lot of brain power?” Luther laughed mockingly.

“Yeah, it does! Do you think my accuracy comes easily? You have no idea how much skill and work it takes to be me.” Diego spat, turning on his feet to leave.

“Well then that’s mutual. You have no idea what it’s like to be me.” Luther said, burying his face in a book about the moon.

Before Diego could make it out the door, Luther said “You have no idea what it’s like to be leader.”

Diego’s head turned sharply, gaze burning into the side of Luther’s face. “Oh yeah? You’re still on about this?”

“That’s the reason we’re going back for another mission tomorrow!” Luther said.

“What?”

“We’re going back to examine their hideout for evidence and cleanup tomorrow.” Luther explained, holding up a written mission debrief that had been sitting on his desk.

Diego sat there for a moment, thinking. His gaze was fixed on the floor, mind elsewhere.

Luther raised his eyebrow again. “Diego?”

Diego left hurriedly, not saying a word as he did. Soon the room was filled with nothing but Diego’s lingering image in Luther’s doorframe and the silence he had left. 

Something about the swift departure and the look on his face made Luther think about him for the rest of the night.

-

“Can’t lead my ass.” Diego muttered. The chilly night air from the roof of the academy blew his nicely kept hair around in the wind.

He checked for each of his knives in his belt methodically, having done so a million times in the past. Each of them were accounted for.

He crawled down to the railing of the fire escape, carefully ensuring that he made no noise as he crept down to the bottom. His keen sneaking instructs from years of training kicked in without thought.

Tonight he would redeem himself. He would not only take that hideout apart and clean it from top to bottom, but he would find those kidnappers, and he was going to save the victim. Reginald was going to be so proud of him that he would finally see how much better he was than Luther. Diego was going to redeem the mission he once corrupted.

He was going to save the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. Expect a nice long update in the near future!


End file.
